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Sunday, July 15, 2007

Coffee and Ice Cream For Everyone

Happy National Ice Cream Day! The proclamation was made by President Reagan.

The company from whom I order coffee beans donates weekly shipments to the troops overseas. However many pounds a customer donates from his/her shipment to the program, the company matches the donation. I received notice that the shipment my latest donation contributed to is on its way to FOB Brassfield Mora. So, I researched this base, as I usually do, to learn about it.

Also known as Camp Brassfield-Mora, it is about 10 km north of Samarra. It is named to honor two soldiers killed in separate mortar attacks in October 2003, according to the website Global Security.org. Specialist Artimus Brassfield and Jose Mora are the two soldiers honored. An Iraqi Army base is located directly behind it.

"The cooks of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment run one of the few Army-only dining facilities in the area of operations, and cook all the meals themselves. They put their lives on the line, convoying out three to four times a week to bring back the food that will be cooked, baked, grilled or fired before being fed to the hungry, hardworking Soldiers of Task Force 1-26."

"These cooks serve hot breakfast and dinner to every growling stomach on post. Unlike most forward operating bases in Task Force Danger, the Brassfield-Mora dining facility doesn't have civilian contractors to help lighten the load. They cook the food, wash the pots and pans, clean the equipment and serve hot meals twice a day. After a long day of patrolling near the City of Samarra, soldiers can get tired of the same old stuff. The cooks of HHC 1-26 try to mix up the usual fare by providing some variety. Their most popular dish is their grilled T-bone steak, which they serve on Sundays."

A renovated building, a new dining facility, allows for indoor meals and more sanitary conditions. Sounds like a terrific location for some freshly roasted coffee to me.

I drank lots of this coffee yesterday morning. I was up and out early, getting the son's hair trimmed and styled at the salon then off to the photography studio for his Senior pictures photo shoot. My baby. They took different poses, some formal, some casual, some in jacket and tie, some in graduation gown with diploma. Looking forward to the proofs in a couple of weeks.

Times have changed. When my Senior photos were taken in high school, back when dinosaurs roamed, the photographer came to the school and took the photo. We all had the same pose shot and we were all draped in a velvet fabric to resemble the gown, no cap. We had a choice of color, that was it. Stand up straight, smile, look here, thank you, good-bye. Next.

Like the cost of class rings, I'm waiting to see the change in the photo packet pricing, too.

7 comments:

Sounds like a plan! I celebrate coffee all day, everyday and in RR's memory, anything.It's good to hear of such hot, delicious meals being served our troops. I hope they reach all the units, most of the time.

My photo was the same. In a suit and, next! I don't recall having one in cap and gown at all. But then, don't remember if we even wore them. Do remember graduating.

Karen: I just read you comments on my page and had to come back over. I'm thrilled you are a political scientist. I'm distressed that your son is facing attempted indoctrination at the hands of his high school history teachers (or at least the AP curriculum). He's lucky to have you give him a guiding hand through the leftist ideology of most historians. I'm sure he'll appreciate good, balanced historical sources after having this experience.